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College News
18 October 2004
Volunteers unite to paint Community Centre
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Twenty volunteers, including students and staff from Royal Holloway, University of London, put their DIY skills to the test last Saturday, as part of a volunteering project run in conjunction with Runnymede Association of Voluntary Services (RAVS) and the staff of Geesemere Specialist Day Services. Manager at Geesemere, Ruth Roberts, said: "It has really made a difference to the way the building looks - the paintwork looks great. The day was an excellent example of our local community working together and it was great to collaborate with the College. We hope to work with Royal Holloway on further volunteering projects in the future." |
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| Sitting from left: Carlos Flores, Shira Moyal, Catherine Black, Jennifer Grandison, Ben Rees, Carole Jones (Mayor of Runnymede), Joe Schwaerzler, Helen Kim, Ilona Grandison. Standing from left: Peter Davies, Dong-Jin Kim, Chris Conneely, Christopher Grandison, Jon Skinner, Debbie Bennett and Ruth Roberts. | ||
Part of an NHS Trust, Geesemere Specialist Day Services provide support and care for adults with learning disabilities. The Community Centre performs several different functions: it acts as a base for organised activities such as bingo and singing for those with learning disabilities, and also provides a catering facility for visitors and staff.
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The volunteering event was co-ordinated by Ronnie Spary of RAVS and Matthias Rosenberg, who runs Royal Holloway's Community Action volunteering programme. Mayor of Runneymede, Carole Jones, also helped out on the day: "I was absolutely delighted to work alongside the team from Royal Holloway, we all had good fun on the day and with such a number of us, time just sped by and by lunch time we had completely painted the entire building!" said Carole. "We really are very lucky in Runnymede to have Royal Holloway in our borough and their work and assistance in the community is very much appreciated - so a big thank you to Matthias and his team - long may their paintbrushes survive!" | |
| Runnymede's
Mayor, Carole Jones, lends a hand |
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Royal Holloway's volunteering programme, Community Action, involves over 140 students, and offers numerous volunteering opportunities, from conservation work to helping the elderly. In addition to one-day events, the programme comprises long-term ventures, such as the Reminiscences Project, in which students are helping elderly nursing home residents to re-kindle their memories. Community Action continues to go from strength to strength and many exciting activities are planned for the coming months. To find out more about volunteering work at Royal Holloway, see the Community Action web page at www.rhul.ac.uk/services/volunteering RAVS is an independent voluntary organisation based in the Borough of Runnymede. Working with a wide range of organisations, including statutory agencies and local businesses, RAVS supports, advises and guides voluntary organisations and community groups in the Borough, and promotes networking between them. Additionally, RAVS provides a Volunteer Bureau at its base in Chertsey, as well as a complete office resource centre. For further information visit: www.ravs.info
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ENDS
For further information contact Royal Holloway, University of London, Press Office:
Vicky Cousins
Assistant Press & Communications Officer
01784 414480, victoria.cousins@rhul.ac.uk
Christine Long
Press & PR Officer
01784 443967, christine.long@rhul.ac.uk
